Gift of a Grim
by Ebona Nite
Summary: What if Harry’s third year at Hogwarts goes a bit differently? AU starting with Trelawney’s prediction… which is a tad different than last time. Complete!
1. A Map, A Rat, and A Mystery

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling is the genius who created that series!

**Gift of a Grim**

**Chapter One: A Map, A Rat, and A Mystery**

**By Ebona Nite**

Summary: What if Harry's third year at Hogwarts goes a bit differently? AU starting with Trelawney's prediction… which is a tad different than last time.

* * *

Harry cringed as Trelawney's hand fell on his shoulder all he wanted was to get out of this tower! Turning slightly, he started as her eyes suddenly misted over.

Trelawney's head rolles back, her eyes rolling into her head revealing the whites.

"_Tonight. It will happen tonight... The false one will be revealed… Soon the falsely-accused will be free and the false one imprisoned. The Grim will give the Lightning-Child the greatest gift… but the false one will escape and return to the service of his master…"_

Trelawney's eyes rolled around, then she snapped upright. "Oh dear, I seem to have drifted off a bit… Well run along Mr. Potter, but mind you beware of the Grim! And the number thirteen! And –"

But Harry was gone by then, as fast as he could get down that ladder.

Not too hungry, Harry headed to the Astronomy Tower to think instead of the Great Hall. He didn't want to talk to Ron and Hermione until he had sorted through his thoughts on what just happened back in the Divination room with Trelawney. She had been even more creepy than normal, and that deep, gravelly voice! That couldn't have been a real prediction… right?

Pulling out the Marauder's Map, Harry opened it up. Professor Lupin had handed it back to him at the end of their last lesson on the Patronus, making him promise not to use unwisely. Although there could be several meaning to that… Harry shook away the thought. Thinking like that usually led to punishments in the Dursley household… no matter how fun it was to let spiders into his Aunt and Uncles bedroom… No, better not think like that.

Absently his eyes trailed over the Map. Most people were in the Great Hall just now (this author can't remember the schedule, so let's just say it's dinnertime), Professor Lupin was in his office, and the Gryffindor dorms were empty… except for one name.

Peter Pettigrew.

Harry blinked and looked again. There was that name again! He'd seen it in the halls one night… but Lupin had said Pettigrew was dead. What was going on? Was the Map faulty?

Deciding to figure this out once and for all, Harry grabbed the map and headed for the dorms.

Sneaking up the stairs to the third year boys' dorms, Harry checked the Map one more time before erasing it and sticking it in his pocket. He pulled out his wand, then peaked into the room.

It was empty.

Harry crept towards Ron's bed, where the Map had indicated Pettigrew. There was no one there, except – Scabbers?

Scooping up the surprised rat, who apparently hadn't been killed by Crookshanks, Harry stuffed the chocolate frog Scabbers had been nibbling on into his pocket with him. "Hey mate, Ron will be glad to see you! Did you know we thought you'd been eaten by Hermione's cat? You must be hungry, let's head to the Great Hall."

Scabbers was only too happy to eat, confident Harry was taking him to more food. Harry, however, had different ideas. _That Map clearly thinks that Scabbers is Pettigrew. Lupin knows something about the Map he isn't telling me, and he also knew Pettigrew. I'll go ask him. I can always give Ron his rat back later._

Harry knocked on Professor Lupin's door. "Come in."

Walking in, he saw another of those goblets Snape had been giving Lupin all year, sitting on his professor's desk. "Ah Harry, what can I do for you? It's getting late isn't it, shouldn't you be having dinner?"

"Yeah, well, I wasn't too hungry. Um, professor…. Look, I know you know something about this Map, or at least you might recognize the spells on it. I think it's broken or something." He had his hand in his pocket now, petting Scabbers. The rat had started to shake. He didn't want to startle it and have it escape again – Ron wouldn't like it.

"Oh? Well… I suppose I could take a look. What is the problem? And you aren't using it to break rules, are you? I can't, as a teacher, allow you to get away with anything I catch you at."

"No professor, it's just – Scabbers calm down! – there's a name on here I didn't expect, and it keeps targeting Ron's pet rat."

The graying man froze. "Pet… rat did you say? May I see the Map? What name is it?"

Harry handed him the paper, and watched Lupin activate it. He was right, Professor Lupin knew more about the Map than he had said. Harry pulled Scabbers from his pocket as well. "Here, the Map keeps saying Scabbers is that Peter Pettigrew person."

Remus Lupin's blue eyes turned gold. "Hello… _Wormtail_."

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**Author's End Notes: **This started out as a oneshot of just a few scenes. Then I realized I wasn't explaining how some of these characters could be where they were, so I expanded it to two chapters. Then I realized I was still missing some vital information, and… at any rate the original oneshot is actually now the _last_ chapter. All the rest of this just explains how I got there, what's different, and why.

Hope you enjoyed! Please review!


	2. Hermione the Rule Breaker

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling is the genius who created that series!

**Gift of a Grim**

**Chapter Two: Hermione the Rule Breaker**

**By Ebona Nite**

Summary: What if Harry's third year at Hogwarts goes a bit differently? AU starting with Trelawney's prediction… which is a tad different than last time.

* * *

Harry watched in amazement as Professor Lupin's eyes changed color. He supposed he shouldn't be too surprised, a lot of people in the wizarding world had odd quirks. Professor McGonnagal could turn into a cat. Madam Hooch had gold eyes with elongated puil's like a cat's… or a hawks. Argus' Filch wasn't too odd, though certainly sadistic, but Mrs. Norris was another matter entirely. Then there was Trelawney…

But he'd never seen anyone's eyes change color before, even Madam Hooch's. And now his DADA professor was growling. Scabbers squirmed, shrieking in far, then bit his hand. "Ouch!" Harry dropped the rat.

"_STUPIFY_!" Harry jumped as a red beam of light shot from Lupin's wand and downed the scrambling rat. "Uh… nice aim?"

"Thank you. Why don't you head for dinner, or your dorms. I need to take this… _rat_… to the Headmaster. I promise to explain tomorrow evening" Professor Lupin said.

Harry nodded, deciding to head for the kitchens. His stomach had suddenly realized he missed dinner. And he was going to have to think what to tell Ron and Hermione.

As it turned out, he didn't have to tell them about anything. They had disappeared down to Hagrid's hut to comfort the half-giant about Buckbeak. Harry winced. He'd completely forgotten about that. He ran down in time to meet them coming back, Ron clutching his head and whimpering something about a rock.

The Golden Trio headed indoors, and Hermione insisted in dragging Ron up to the Hospital Wing. "What happened?" Harry asked. "Someone threw a rock in Hagrid's window. It smacked Ron right on the temple! But we saw the Ministry officials being led to Hagrid's hut when we looked out the window so Ron and I were able to sneak out in time."

As it turned out Madam Pomfrey diagnosed Ron with a mild concussion – "Whoever threw that rock must have had a good arm and a bad temper" Harry muttered to Hermione – and insisted on dosing the redhead with a sleeping potion and keeping him overnight. While she clucked over Ron and Hermione watched, Harry's eyes were drawn to a window.

It was night now. He had a partially obstructed view of one side of the lake from here, but it was pretty dark as there were clouds passing over the full moon. A light had attracted his attention. Harry squinted and looked down. A wolf howled somewhere out near the Shrieking Shack. In the gloom, he could just make out a swarm of dementers moving away from the light on the shore of the lake. From here, it looked like some sort of glowing horse. Was it a unicorn? Did unicorns glow? Could they fight off dementers?

"Harry!" Harry blinked and turned away from the window. "What is it Hermione?"

"Ron's asleep and Madam Pomfrey has gone to her office. We really need to get back to our dorm." She glanced sadly at the window. "I just wish there had been something we could do for Buckbeak."

"I know what you mean. I keep thinking if we had more time we'd have been able to sneak him out into the Forest or something."

Hermione's eyes widened. "More… time… no I can't!"

"Hermione what are you talking about?" Harry looked at her suspiciously as she just got more nervous.

"Well – well I could – but I can't! I promised!"

"Hermione! Will you make sense?"

The bushy-haired girl drew a shakey breath and glanced around. "Okay but, promise not to tell anyone! I could get into trouble for telling you."

"I promise. Now what is it?"

"You know how I had signed up for all the elective classes? Well see this – this is called a timeturner. You can go back a certain amount in time with it, but you have to be certain not to see yourself – mean not to be seen by your earlier self. Professor McGonnagall made me promise not to tell anyone or misuse it when she gave it to me at the beginning of the year. That's why I was always disappearing on you – it got better once dropped Divination and Muggle Studies."

"That's why! But why are you telling me all this if you promised not to?"

"Well… I was thinking… we could save Buckbeak, and really Hagrid would be so much happier! But we really shouldn't…"

"Hermione, make up your mind. Are we going to do this or aren't we?"

The young witch stared at him for a long moment, then turned to the window. She stared at the full moon for a long moment, and then resolve hardened her face. "Two turns should do it, I think."

* * *

**Author's End Notes: **Yes I know, Hermione is rulebreaking without a teacher's consent this time. Harry and Ron must be rubbing off on her. Where is Dumbledore during all this you ask? You'll find out next chapter. Where are Remus and Sirius? Well Remus is in the shrieking shack, and since Peter was caught, Sirius has no reason to be out so he's hiding safely away somewhere.

Hope you enjoyed. Please review!


	3. How Time Flies

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling is the genius who created that series!

**Gift of a Grim**

**Chapter Three: How Time Flies**

**By Ebona Nite**

Summary: What if Harry's third year at Hogwarts goes a bit differently? AU starting with Trelawney's prediction… which is a tad different than last time.

* * *

That was the end of Harry Potter's semi-peaceful school year (overly friendly demeneters notwithstanding). In the course of two hours, Harry and Hermione had:

Secretly and probably illegally used a timeturner to go back two hours narrowly missing appearing in front of Madam Pomfrey.

Given their best friend Ron a concussion with a rock (Hermione really did have a good arm, which she was quite embarrassed about).

Hippogriff-napped Buckbeak.

Snuck into the Forbidden Forest and set free the friendly condemned hippogriff, with a pile of dead ferrets to keep him there.

Left a note for Hagrid after the executioners had gone.

Had a run-in with around a hundred overly-friendly dementers on the lake shore on their way back to the castle.

Harry remembered seeing the "glowing horse" from the Hospital window and was able to cast a fully-corporeal stag patronus and ward off all the dementers long enough to make a run for it.

Managed to sneak back into the castle without anyone knowing and without getting hurt or snogged by any dementers.

"Ah, Miss Granger, Mr. Potter. You do realize it is nearly curfew?"

They froze, staring up at the Headmaster. Hermione looked like a deer caught in the headlights. There were rumors that the Headmaster knew absolutely everything that went on in Hogwarts. Had he caught them? Did he know?

"Miss Granger please head back to your dorm. I'm sure Mr. Weasley will be able to see you both in the morning. Mr. Potter, a moment of your time."

Okay, obviously Dumbledore wasn't that omniscient. Or maybe he was just turning a blind eye on their activities. Harry gave his friends a small push, she squeaked, and dashed off.

"Yes professor?"

"A little earlier Professor Lupin came to me with some startling news! I just thought you might like to know, Mr. Weasley's pet rat was actually an illegal animagus. You have, apparently, managed to catch Peter Pettigrew, who was not as dead as we all thought! Ministry officials were here with me and we've just finished interrogating him, and they've brought him to a Ministry holding cell."

"Oh, but I thought he was dead?" Harry was beginning to feel dizzy. Scabbers really was Pettigrew? But if he wasn't dead… what did that mean about Sirius Black? Why did Professor Dumbledore need to tell him all this?

"No no, quite alive. It seems that your parents switched Secret Keepers, and it was Peter who betrayed them to Voldemort. Not only this, Peter also confessed to framing Sirius for his death and the murders of twelve Muggles. The Daily Prophet will be running the story in the morning, Sirius Black has been given a full pardon. I thought you would like some warning." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled down at him.

Harry blinked, feeling a little faint. He hoped he didn't – faint, that is. He really didn't want to end back up in the Hospital Wing. "Th-thank you for telling me professor. I think – I think I need to go write a letter."

Albus Dumbledore smiled benevolently, offered Harry a lemon dropped, twinkled at him, and sent him on his way.

* * *

**Author's End Notes:** Sorry it's a bit short. I really didn't feel up to writing out the entire night. Well, hope you enjoyed it. Please review! 


	4. Something Grim This Way Comes

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling is the genius who created that series!

**Gift of a Grim**

**Chapter Four: Something Grim This Way Comes**

**By Ebona Nite**

Summary: What if Harry's third year at Hogwarts goes a bit differently? AU starting with Trelawney's prediction… which is a tad different than last time.

* * *

Two weeks had gone by. The Daily Prophet had indeed had the story running the next day. Professor Lupin had choked on his pumpkin juice that morning and spit it all over Professor Snape whom he'd been stuck sitting next to. Three quarters of the Great Hall had cheered. 

Harry had sent a letter to his godfather that morning, along with a clipping. They'd been exchanging letters for a while. Unfortunately four days after Pettigrew's capture, the rat had escaped the Ministry holding cell. Suposedly it had been warded against animagi. Harry had sent his godfather a clipping of that too. Sirius suspected an inside job.

Sirius had also offered Harry a home with him, or if not then the offer of staying with Harry and his relatives. Harry had been absolutely ecstatic about that. Just imagine what the Dursley's would think, a full-grown wizard living in their house! It was the best gift anyone had ever offered him: a true family. It didn't matter to Harry whether or not he had to stay the Dursley's, as long as Sirius could come live with him. They'd met a few times during weekends, talked, sometimes with Professor Lupin, and Harry felt he was finally getting to know his parents listening to their stories.

It was a Hogsmeade Saturday, the last of the year, and for once Harry was glad he wasn't going. He waved Ron and Hermione off.

"Watch out mate," Ron warned as he left, "That batty Trelawney is waffling around the Great Hall again spouting off about knowing that Sirius was innocent."

Harry rolled his eyes and grinned. Perfect. The stage was set.

"Hey, Potty!"

Well not quite. Malfoy had been surprisingly quiet these last couple weeks. Perhaps sulking. But it seemed it wasn't going to last.

"What do you want, Malfoy?"

"Stuck here again without your friends the weasel and the Mudblood? Awww is little Potty sad? Bet you –" just then the blonde boy went white as a sheet. "Th-the grim! Aaaaaaahhhhh!" He ran back inside screaming.

Harry grinned. "There you are, Padfoot! I was wondering when you were going to get here!"

The large, shaggy black dog – which indeed looked like a Grim – reared up and transformed into a man. "Sorry, I was making sure I was presentable. Shall we get started Pup?" He grinned, grey eyes glinting mischieviously.

The green eyed boy grinned back. "Alright, Professor Trelawney is inside. Remember the plan!"

'Padfoot' chuckled, "If I wasn't in on it, I'd be scared. You have your father's I'm-planning-a-prank smirk." Transforming back into a large dog, he followed the boy inside.

A few minutes later, Harry peeked into the Great hall. It was lunchtime, and students were free to come and go for food, lazying about (it was Saturday after all) in the castle and (those with permission) down at Hogsmeade. Just as Ron said. Trelawney was swooping about the teacher's table. Dumbledore, Lupin, Mcgonnagall, Sprout, and a few others he didn't know were there, but Snape wasn't (probably left when Trelawney entered; several other teachers looked ready to run as well). Oh well, you can't have everything.

"Okay, ready… set… go!"

Harry ran into the Great Hall, waving his arms in the air, with Padfoot bounding along at his heels.

"Professor Trelawney! Help! You were right – it's the Grim!"

Trelawney shrieked and fainted. Several students (and a couple teachers) screamed and ran. Lupin burst out laughing. Harry stopped in front of Dumbledore and grinned, "Hey Professor, this dog followed me home. Can I keep him?"

Now Lupin was laughing so hard tears streamed down his face. Dumbledore just sat there and twinkled as Sprout hyperventilated and Mcgonnagall tried to calm her down.

"I believe, my dear boy, that is up to your relatives. However I have heard they have a guest room. Perhaps they can be persuaded." _(twinkle twinkle)_

"Mr. Potter what is the idea – Remus are you alright? – Albus just WHAT is going on here?" Mcgonnagall finally managed.

Sirius transformed back into his human self. Now free, he had taken the time to wash (which took a couple hours) get a shave and haircut, and buy some nice clean robes. So he cut quite a dashing figure as he grinned saucily at the gaping transfiguration professor.

"Minnie! How nice to see you my dear! Moony, do shut up before you burst."

Remus just howled with laughter, tipped too far back in his chair, and fell over backwards.

* * *

**THE END

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**Author End Notes: **Just to clear one thing up, yes I was implying that Sirius would go live with Harry at the Dursley's, which would make sure Harry was treated well for the next few years. I don't see them throwing him out while he has his wand in their faces, do you?

This chapter was the original oneshot I developed the story out of.

Hope you liked! Sorry if I misspelled any names or anything. Please review!


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